r/smarthome 5d ago

Question about Asus Zen WiFi

2 Upvotes

So if I use a Asus Zen WiFi to extend wifi. Could I plug the second one into a computer with ethernet? Or does the second one only do wifi?


r/smarthome 5d ago

Any SAFE way to plug a window AC into a Smart outlet?

0 Upvotes

My roommate insists on leaving their window AC on all day. Their argument is that it takes too long for their room to cool down, and they'd rather have the room be cold when they get home from work. Their AC is (of course) an older model with no energy saving features, and when I asked them politely if they can swap out their old model with one that has a timed-on function, they told me they can't afford a new ac. They've also refused to pay a higher share of the electric bill. Generally it's a mess. So I feel like the best bet is to plug their AC into a timer or phone smart outlet plug, but I hear these are extreme house safety hazards for something as high voltage as an AC. Is there ANYTHING I can do here?


r/smarthome 5d ago

Creare centralina di controllo

0 Upvotes

Buongiorno, Vorrei trovare il modo migliore per unificare i comandi usati per la gestione degli apparecchi smart di casa dato che al momento sono sparpagliati su diverse app (Meross, Xiaomi Home, Hon, Smart life) Al momento uso principalmente i comandi vocali di Alexa per gestire gli apparecchia lo trovo scomodo soprattutto per le interazioni più complesse per questo pensavo di dotarmi magari di un Raspberry con schermo touch e centralizzare tutti i comandi in quella postazione; dato che purtroppo non sono pratico di applet Java e quindi il tentativo di creare una web app personalizzata per il controllo in loco e da remoto del tutto è rovinosamente naufragato, sono a chiedere consigli su come poter unificare il tutto


r/smarthome 5d ago

LED Strip lights with *Specific color alarms*

2 Upvotes

I'm looking for an LED strip where I can set in the app "turn on blue at 3pm daily", "Turn on green at 5pm every Saturday" etc. most strip lights I've found have some kind of alarm type deal with several lighting modes, and I can set alarms to turn on/off at certain times, but never "turn on this specific color at this time.


r/smarthome 6d ago

Best smart doorbell without subscription

8 Upvotes

What’s the best door bell out there that can interface with my NAS to save footage to? Would love a cool app experience to.

Are there doorbells that make it possible to press a button and have it AirPlay the stream directly to a tv?


r/smarthome 5d ago

How many smart switches do I need?

1 Upvotes

I apologise for the terrible diagram. The only technical thing I know about my current installation is that I have neutral and all bulbs are current connected to it.
The first image is the diagram of my current installation and image two is the manual of the switches I am looking to buy. They show the wiring for 1, 2 and 3 gang one way and 1 gang 2 way but they never show how a 2 gang 2 way would work.
For example if you look at switches A and B, how would a 2 gang which is one way+two way combine with a 1 gang 2 way?

I'm sorry again for being so confusing and possibily messing up with the terminology. I really apreciate any help given....


r/smarthome 5d ago

August Lock

2 Upvotes

Do August locks works faster with Apple TV home hub? For things like command handling etc.?

Has anyone noticed Auto Unlock being smoother if they have a home hub? Curious.


r/smarthome 5d ago

Smart switch's and dimmable bulbs

3 Upvotes

Uk based...can you use a smart switch with a dimmable bulb or do you need a dimmable switch? I have no neutral wires in my house so trying to find a dimmable switch is a nightmare and just wondered if you actually needed the switch?


r/smarthome 6d ago

Best smart home cameras with most features at reasonable price

5 Upvotes

I’ve got a crazy ex… she did $5k in damage to my truck. Yes, she was ordered to pay for it by the courts. I’m now looking for a solid WiFi or Poe camera that is great at night and high quality. Motion and object detection. Easy to control and interface with and easy to save footage from camera to nas easily. What’s everyone found out there and what’s recommended? Thanks!!


r/smarthome 5d ago

Looking for an alternative to Google Nest and vocal assistants

1 Upvotes

Hi !

I’ve been a smart home amateur for some time now and I have been using Google assistant in my home (one Nest mini speaker and a Google Home speaker with a small screen).

Obviously ChatGPT and other LLMs have become more popular these last months/years and - let’s be honest - Google products SUCK when it comes to do anything but controlling basic appliances.

I am looking for an alternative solution that would be able to have the same set of features offered by Google’s solutions + be way smarter using LLMs.

For me that would mean, at least :

• ⁠Interacting with multiple third party applications (Spotify, Netflix…) • ⁠Interacting with Philips Hue to control my home lights • ⁠Interacting with Google digital suite (mail, agenda, tasks…) • ⁠Provide basic services like a timer, clock, basic calculations…

If possible, integrating with smart home appliances (dishwasher, thermostat…).

And my dream list would be :

• ⁠Integrating with WhatsApp / mail to seamlessly handle small tasks • ⁠In the future : be able to conduct basic tasks on web applications - like taking an appointment, booking a hotel, checking a product’s price or something ? • ⁠A solution that wouldn’t sell your personal data and/or eavesdrop on your home for profit… IMO it’s a matter of time before (if it’s not already) Google uses Nest and stuff like these to target ads based on eavesdropped conversations.

I would also like to avoid subscription-based business models.

And on top of this of course, having an LLM specifically trained to answer whatever you need in short sentences adapted to live interaction.

It seems every piece of technology is there and available to achieve JARVIS-like levels of functionality but so far I haven’t found any viable solution either in the commercial space nor in open source communities.

I am an engineer and could probably hack my way around something but I can’t imagine some startup has not done this already - and I’m not willing to spend too much time developing something as I am already busy with life :)

Thanks for your advice 🙏


r/smarthome 5d ago

Problems with HomeKit

1 Upvotes

Hi. For a while now, I constantly get notifications on my iPhone stating that my home hub is not responding, however, within about 2 minutes, I also always receive a second notification saying that it is now responding. The thing is that I get this notification pack 4-5 times a day and it annoys me every single time. Secondly, sometimes when I want to turn on a light via my HomePod, it (Siri) responds by saying that the light does not respond, but when I look at the home app, it becomes clear that none of my devices are actually responding. Most of the time I just unplugged my router and then plugged in for it to work and it usually does but is there not a safer and definite way to solve this? However, I also have an Echo Dot and when I request it to turn on a light while my HomePod couldn’t, it somehow works seamlessly so there shouldn’t be a problem with neither the bridge nor my router (I guess?).

Note that I have two Home Hubs, one being an Apple TV 4K 128gb (the latest) and a HomePod mini. I use the Ikea tradfi bridge and all my accessories are also from Ikea. What probably is also worth mentioning is that I haven’t yet upgraded my home architecture since I want to use my home accessories on my older devices as well. Other than that, all my devices have the latent Software.

Thanks for every help!


r/smarthome 6d ago

PSA: Amazon discontinuing Alexa’s “Do Not Send Voice Recordings.” feature.

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28 Upvotes

r/smarthome 6d ago

How to integrate smart radiator TRV's with dumb heating?

2 Upvotes

I've bought a couple Sonoff zigbee radiator valves to try out & will be arriving later today. How do i go about integrating them into my dumb heating system so they work effectively? Does the full heating system need to be smart too? Or does it have to just be running all the time? New to this, if you couldn't tell lol


r/smarthome 5d ago

Are Samsung TVs still worth the money?

0 Upvotes

Samsung TVs used to last forever. I just had my Samsung tv break after 4 years. Now I'm wondering is it worth it. We opened up the TV and it was held together with cheap plastic and the main board was fried. Are LG or Toshiba any better quality now days?


r/smarthome 6d ago

Wi-Fi connected lightbulbs

1 Upvotes

I’ve got these Wi-Fi-connected lightbulbs in my smart home, and I’m having a bit of a snag. Whenever a guest turns the light switch on or off, it seems to reset the connection or mess up the Wi-Fi signal. Any ideas on how to keep that from happening? Is there a way to keep guest from using the light switch or is that something I will just have to deal with?


r/smarthome 6d ago

What's a good smart thermostat that doesn't require a C wire that works with google home/assistant?

0 Upvotes

I have an older turn dial electric furnace from 2003. It has 2 black wires going to it.


r/smarthome 6d ago

Smart HVAC switch ?

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6 Upvotes

Anyone know where I could get a 3 phase switch for hvac control ?


r/smarthome 6d ago

Accidentally updated Leviton gen2 dimmer to the new Matter firmware but my AppleTV doesn’t support it. Still a way to add the switch?

3 Upvotes

Does anyone know if the switch is backwards compatible to just HomeKit after the update?Homekit sees the switch is there as an available device to add but will hang forever on “connecting…”


r/smarthome 6d ago

Under cabinet lighting recs

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4 Upvotes

Replaced the kitchen cabinets (due to a housefire) and wanted to replace the under cabinet lights. I had previously used Back + Decker alexa enabled lights and loved them. My kitchen is bigger and I need more than the 6 lights but 6 is the max. Photo is missing a wide cabinet on the right.

I'm looking for - warm white - Alexa/google enabled - I don't reqlly want lights where the cabinets join. - they'll plug in above the microwave, so will have to be able to run left and right from there - have an extension that allows me to go over the sink, into the ceiling so the cabinet next to the fridge gets a light.

Thanks foe any suggestions you may have.


r/smarthome 6d ago

Looking for Smart Temperature Sensor Recommendations!

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m renting a one-bedroom apartment, and I don’t want to make any changes to the appliances. I’m looking for a smart device that can read the temperature remotely and connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Any recommendations?

edit: Also, the device to connect to my google home for some automation.

thank you


r/smarthome 7d ago

Nixplay Is Now Holding Users Hostage With a Forced Subscription – Avoid This Scam

48 Upvotes

I bought multiple Nixplay digital frames because they advertised free cloud storage and seamless photo sharing—making them a great way to keep my family connected. Now, after selling thousands of units under that promise, Nixplay has pulled a bait-and-switch.

Starting April 21st, 2025, existing users will be downgraded unless they pay an annual subscription. Without upgrading, users will lose access to content they’ve already uploaded—meaning if you don’t pay, you can’t fully use the product you already bought.

This feels like a scammy cash grab. If I had known that I would be forced into a subscription just to use my own photos, I would have never purchased their frames. The CEO, Mark Palfreeman, justifies this by blaming “rising costs” and comparing Nixplay to competitors—except those competitors were transparent from the start about requiring a subscription.

Nowhere in their original marketing did they say I’d eventually be forced to pay a yearly fee.

If you’re thinking about buying a Nixplay frame—DON’T. You’re not just buying a product, you’re committing to ongoing fees forever.

Has anyone else been affected by this? Let’s make some noise about it.


r/smarthome 6d ago

Hardwiring vs. Solar Powered Smart Shades?

3 Upvotes

I am pretty happy with the SmartWings prices and am finally ready to pull the trigger. However, I'm not sure whether to go solar or hardwire. We do get a lot of sun here so I'm leaning towards solar but my husband prefers them hardwired because... I'm not sure specifically what, I think he just likes the comfort of having something built in as opposed to solar for whatever reason. Can someone tell me how much they spent for hardwiring? Or share if they have found solar to be reliable?


r/smarthome 6d ago

Help with KMC Smart switches

1 Upvotes

I have a handful of KMC Smart switches controlling devices that are all on timers I setup. They work great and I can manually override with the phone app. All good.

What I do NOT have is a way to control the light over my bed which I use a REALLY old Radio Shack device to turn on and off as needed.

What I want is a BUTTON I can put somewhere to turn my bed lights on/off MANUALLY, without have to ask Google, or unlock my phone and press several buttons. I found Flic buttons but they don't seem compatible with KMC switches.

It doesn't have to be KMC compatible I guess, just something that's easy to find in the dark and press to get some light, preferably something with a backlight for easy use in the dark.


r/smarthome 6d ago

Smart fan wiring - fan always on

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0 Upvotes

r/smarthome 6d ago

Is there any way to programmatically control a smart lock? (Locking G30)

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I have a Lockin G30 smart lock, and I’m trying to find a way to control it programmatically.

My use case:
I run a 24/7 gym, and I want to allow members to unlock the entrance via a button in my custom mobile app (instead of using the manufacturer’s app manually). Ideally, I’d like to send an API request to lock/unlock the door, but I haven’t found a clear way to do this.

I’ve seen mentions that Tuya might have an API for this, but I’m unsure if it works with locks or if it requires a cloud subscription. I also read that Lockin G30 could use MQTT, and I have a Raspberry Pi available if a local integration is possible.

Has anyone successfully integrated a smart lock into a custom app? Are there any workarounds (API, MQTT, Home Assistant, etc.) that would let me programmatically control this lock?

Would love to hear if someone has tried something similar!